Days Gone By: 1936 Pirate Bucks outclass Quincy to close successful grid year

Monday

Jun 10, 2013 at 8:31 AMJun 10, 2013 at 8:41 AM

Courier-Post FilesNov. 27, 1936

Note: Football game video is toward the end of this film.

Courier-Post Files Nov. 27, 1936

There was the battle of the Plains of Marathon; there was the battle of Hastings, or the second battle of the Marne, all important events in the history of races and nations, but Hannibal folks likely will reckon their dates from Thanksgiving Day, 1936, hereafter, the day on which the Hannibal High School Pirate gridders ended a ten-year stretch of disappointments at the hands of Quincy High and marked up a 7-0 victory for themselves.It all happened here at the high school stadium on the afternoon of Nov. 26, 1936, and despite the snow and cold, fans shivered through it all with smiles to see our local boys realize the success of a proposition local high school teams have been working on since 1927. The largest crowd to inhabit our new high school stadium, 3,000 was on hand to see the event and every seat in the bleacher section was filled.It was not a fluke victory by any means, the better team winning. The Bucs outplayed their rivals in every department, their gain from scrimmage totaling 253 yards to 49 for Quincy, their first downs numbering 12 to five for Quincy. Everyone was happy and as Pirate heroes sat down to their turkey dinners late last evening, little brothers and sisters requested necks and wings, saving the white meat for big brother.

Chase starsIf you are casting about for an individual hero, Ray Chase, the Pirate Rammer, will do as well as any, the husky fullback ramming his was through the Quincy line consistently and averaging slightly better than five yards per try for 19 efforts. If you are searching for heroes collectively, the honor falls to the Pirate line, which outplayed and outcharged a much heavier Quincy forward wall.The Pirates never weakened and after a languid start they settled down to the solemnity of the occasion and were never seriously embarrassed thereafter. The visitors made their most serious threat at the start of the game, advancing to the Hannibal 16, but their the threat was halted. The visitors tried a passing attack in the final quarter but this failed to move them very deep into Pirate territory. Fumbles were frequent on both sides, the raw wind biting at the hands of the gridders handicapping them breatly.To recite the event in essay form:Quincy chose to kick off to Hannibal and Stock booted the ball deep into Pirate territory. The ball was fumbled twice, Conley finally falling on it on the Hannibal 18. Conley fumbled and lost three yards on the first play and after Hanlin had made 11 yards through the line, Conley was tossed on the Hannibal 21. Hustling Hank got off a bad punt, Quincy downing the ball on the Hannibal 25. Quincy made eight yards on three line plays but was held for downs on the next effort on the Hannibal 16.Conley made three yards, and Hanlin added seven more in two thrusts for a first down. The Bucs could make no further headway and Conley punted to the Quincy 43, Calhoun fumbling the ball, Sparks and Powell recovering for the Pirates. Two exchanges of punts were made Quincy gaining ground on the kicks and Hannibal finally putting the ball in play on the 50-yard stripe.Conley drove through the line and lacked inches of making a first down. On the next play, Chase, carrying the ball for the first time, went through the center of the line for 16 yards and a first down on the Quicy 25 as the first quarter ended.The Bucs advanced to the Quincy 17 but were stopped, Quincy taking the ball on downs. Wannamaker hit the line for three yards, but on his next effort, fumbled, Hannibal recovering on the Quincy 19. Chase again ripped the center of the line, making 11 yards, but on the next play, Hanlin fumbled, Kelly recovering for Quincy on the Quincy 8.Quincy was penalized five yards on the first play and Koch dropped back to punt formation only to toss the ball to Phillips who ran to the Quincy 30-yard line, being tackled with such force that he dropped the ball, Shumate recovering for Hannibal on the Quincy 30.

Pirates scoreChase continued to drive through the line making 10 yards and after Hanlin had added two more, Chase drove on for nine yards and a first down on the Quincy 9 yard line. Chase made four yards and Hanlin three, and on the next play Hanlin went off tackle for a touchdown, Chase adding the extra point with a drive through the line.Taking Hannibal’s kickoff on the 35, Quincy made its only first down of the half, a pass Phillips to Koch netting 12 yards. Failing to gain, Koch punted from midfield to Conley, who returned 30 yards to the Hannibal 45.Hanlin made four yards and then Hannibal was penalized five yards for offside. Hanlin again picked up four yards, but on the next play Hannibal was penalized 15 yards for holding. Conley back to punt, ran around right end for 23 yards, and a first down on the Quincy 44. Line plays by Hanlin and Chase netted 14 yards and a first down on the Quincy 28. Chase then making five yards as the half ended with Hannibal leading 7-0.The Bucs played it safely through the third period and the time was taken up largely as a punting duel, Quincy registering the only first down of the period, this being in Quincy territory, however, Conley held an edge in the punting during the quarter and as the period ended, Quincy was in possession on the Quincy 20.Trying desperately to score, the visitors tried a passing attack in the final period, completing the first effort for a 10-yard gain. Failing on three straight passes, Koch punted to Deline on the Hannibal 30. The Bucs staged another drive from this point, Conley getting away with a 23-yard gain around left end during the charge, Quincy finally halting the Bucs on the Quincy 26.After Phillips had made 11 yards, three line plunges and a short pass netted 10 more yards, but an another attempted pass, Hanlin moved in and intercepted the ball, being down on the Hannibal 46.Here the most thrilling run of the game was staged, Hustling Hank Conley getting loose around right end and running 54 yards down the sidelines across the Quincy goal line. Referee Faurot ruled, however, that Conley had stepped out of bounds on the Quincy 44 and all the Bucs realized from the play was a first down.With but a minute left to play, the Bucs loss the ball on downs and Quincy failing on one pass, completed another for five yards as the game ended.

Sixteen players end careersSixteen Pirate gridders put on their football rompers for the last time as Hannibal High School performers, the group including Captain Edward Shumate, Bud Sparks, George Brown, Lewis Burge, Chet Hanlin, Russell Matson, James Deline, Rodney Libbee, Russell Pennington, Charles Rendlen, Harry Freed, Robert Sadler, Tapley McCann, Stone and Ellis.